Circuit breakers typically include one or more electrical contacts, and provide protection against persistent over-current conditions and short circuit conditions. In particular, many circuit breakers include a trip unit that includes one or more trip bars that release a trip mechanism on persistent over-current conditions and short circuit conditions to trip the circuit breaker and open the electrical contacts to stop the flow of current in the protected circuit.
In addition, many circuit breakers include one or more accessory compartments into which one or more accessories may be installed. Accessories are often used to provide additional functional capabilities to a circuit breaker. For example, a trip alarm switch accessory may be configured to sound an alarm when the circuit breaker trips to notify personnel that a fault has occurred. Other accessories may be configured to perform other functions on the occurrence of a fault or other operating condition. Circuit breaker accessories typically include an actuation mechanism (e.g., a switch, a push-button, a plunger, etc.), that is configured to be engaged by an actuator on the trip unit (e.g., an extension arm on the trip bar), such that on the occurrence of a fault, the trip unit actuator engages the accessory actuation mechanism. For example, on the occurrence of a fault, a trip bar extension arm may compress a plunger on a trip alarm switch accessory, causing the alarm to sound.
However, in many circuit breakers, available space for accessory compartments may be quite limited, and installed accessories often are surrounded by numerous other components in the circuit breaker. As a result, the actuation mechanism for some accessories may not be located near exiting trip unit actuators, or may be obstructed by other circuit breaker components, such that the accessory cannot be used in the circuit breaker.